Celtics

Report: Executives believe Celtics looking for forward to fill void left by Gordon Hayward

Published by
Peter Dewey

The Boston Celtics have struggled during the 2020-21 season after making the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

Boston is just 17-17 on the season and is currently the No. 6 seed in the East.

The Celtics lost forward Gordon Hayward this past offseason, but they gained a large trade exception in the process.

According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, executives around the NBA believe the Celtics are looking for a forward who could fill the hole left by Hayward’s departure.

“The Celtics no longer have the deep cache of draft assets from other teams to potentially include in a deal,” Bontemps wrote. “They do still have all of their own future first-round picks, as well as the massive trade exception, which puts them in better trade position than most other contending teams. Rival executives believe they are hunting for a player who can play either forward spot and provide some scoring punch — exactly the kind of player they lost when Hayward left.”

The Celtics have a solid core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker, but Walker has struggled this season since coming back from a knee injury.

Adding a forward that can help bolster Boston’s bench unit should help it contend in the playoffs.

The Celtics have been one of the top teams in the East for several seasons now, but they are still looking for the missing piece that will get them back to the NBA Finals.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball, football and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.

Published by
Peter Dewey

Recent Posts

Klay Thompson on if he regrets decision to join Dallas: ‘I don’t believe in going back, looking back’

Klay Thompson might have thought he would be contending for a championship in his first…

1 day ago

Ex-Warriors minority owner disses Steve Kerr, says 4-year-old could’ve coached Golden State to championships

Harvard University — one of the more distinguished schools in the world — has been…

3 days ago

Paul Pierce says he used to ‘always’ talk smack to a young LeBron James: ‘And he never used to say stuff’

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said back in the year 2013, then a member…

3 days ago

NBA insider says Dirk Nowitzki is ‘completely turned off’ by Mavericks franchise

ESPN's Tim MacMahon was in attendance on Tuesday at a limited-access press conference in which…

3 days ago

Jimmy Butler says he loves having ‘target’ on his back in playoffs: ‘I ain’t scared of nobody’

The Golden State Warriors are somehow still enjoying a period of contention headlined by some…

3 days ago

‘Don’t ever disrespect me like that’: Bradley Beal reportedly took issue with request from Mike Budenholzer

The Phoenix Suns recently sacked head coach Mike Budenholzer after he spent just one season…

6 days ago